"Imost certainly am not," Berto countered. "Conservative values don't mean hate, Ash. It means lower taxes."
"Uh huh, and we both know you picked the party because you're a Texas boy and this state's red."
"And that's your political quota for the day." I cut them off before it could turn insane. "Next one of you to bring it up will find himself kicked to the backyard without dinner." I looked between them, making sure they knew I was serious.
Berto held up his hands in mock-defeat. "I'm politicked out anyway," he promised. "Pretty sure I saw solar panels on a couple of the cabins..."
"City won't give us a permit to hook up to utilities," I explained. "Simmons is behind it, of course."
"Well, that sounds like there's some bribery going on," Berto said. "Which gives me a really good angle to use when I head down to the police station in the morning. The only downside here is that you're showing your hand, Vi."
"Don't care," I promised. "These people have attacked my best friend. They tried to refuse to sell to us at the feed store. I'm sick of it, Berto. More than you can imagine. The only reason I'm trying to play nice is because of Luke and Faith."
"Because I want to live here," Faith explained. "And I'm Lilac, so I think I should. When it opens, I'm going to go to Southwind for school and help the other kids the way Cy and Ash helped Violet."
Berto was looking at her like he was honestly impressed. "How old are you, Faith?"
"Thirteen," she admitted.
He nodded. "So, when you grow up, are you going to run Southwind like Violet is?"
She sucked in a breath. "That would be amazing! I don't want to be a model, though. I'm going to design clothes like Ash and work with horses like Dad."
"Good plan," Berto told her, then he looked over to me. "I'm seriously going to steal her for my next campaign. When we have to do one of those family gatherings, I'm borrowing you and her. My sister and her boyfriend's kid." He grinned, turning as Cy came back in. "Just leave it there, Cy."
"You do not pack light," Cy grumbled, dropping the suitcase. "So, think you can help?"
"I think I'm averygood politician," Berto assured him. "I can be terrifying if I want to. Not quite like Violet - or Gran - but close. I did learn from the best, you know."
"And this will go away?" Luke asked.
"If they don't drop it," Berto assured him, "I'll have an investigation started to see just how deep the corruption goes. In small towns like this? There's always a favor or a deal being made, and most of it's not exactly legal for cops to do. I'll make it go away, Luke. One way or another. I just need to know how long I have."
"Two weeks," Luke told him. "That's it."
"And then I get a puppy," Faith said.
"Ok, I'm gonna need some pictures of the dog, too," Berto teased. "Maybe some with my newest niece in them. Family pictures always make the days on the road easier. Think you can handle that, Faith?"
The girl froze, her eyes jumping over to Luke. "Is that ok?"
"Just a selfie," Luke promised. "Nothing like what Brody did, cupcake. Just like all the pictures I have, and heasked. You can tell him no."
Berto's head was moving between the two of them, but he read the room perfectly, and proved it when he said, "Won't be upset at all, Faith. If you don't want to give me a picture, then it just means I'll have to come back and see the dog for myself." Then he turned to Luke and mouthed, "Sorry."
"You're fine," Luke promised. "I'm just damned proud of my kid for saying something when she got worried."
Berto nodded. "I'm going to makesurethe cops dismiss those charges."
Chapter Fifty-Three
Dinner was a lot of fun. The guys fired up the grill. Faith set up the table outside and we ate on the porch, enjoying the lovely evening at this time of year. The crickets out in the pasture were extra loud, but it was like a soundtrack to the perfect family dinner. The whole thing was nice, and it reminded me of all the times we'd done this back when I was a kid.
This was what made Southwind amazing. It was actually home for so many of us, and I loved that they all agreed. The group of us talked about anything and everything - except politics. Still, it was a weeknight, so Luke chased Faith off to bed at a decent time, while Ash pulled out the beer, offering one to Berto, then Cy, and he set one out for Luke, knowing he'd be back.
Sure enough, Luke returned carrying a small glass with a bit of amber liquid in the bottom. He passed that to me and took the last chair at the table, sitting down with a sigh. For a moment, we all just enjoyed the moment. Eventually, though, Berto broke it.
"Sorry about the picture thing. I honestly didn't even think about it."
